Course overview
This course provides students with a solid grounding in animal metabolism and nutrition to allow them to develop sound, evidence-based advice to clients wishing to maximise the profitability, health, longevity, product quality or athletic performance of animals. The course builds on a platform of knowledge of nutritional principles and the roles of energy, protein, lipids, carbohydrates, macro- and micro-nutrients in biochemical pathways. These principles are then applied to feed formulation for dogs, cats, horses, beef cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, wildlife, pocket pets, exotic animals, and farmed finfish. The consequences of an inadequate supply of the essential nutrients are considered in detail. The course has a strong hands-on, practical focus to develop in students an awareness of the importance of nutrition as a frontline determinant of animal health, welfare and production. Emphasis is placed on self-initiative, the development of skills in teamwork, and the application of a critical, science-based approach to practical nutrition.
Course learning outcomes
- Apply critical thinking and an evidence-based approach to animal nutrition and demonstrate skills in data collection, analysis, synthesis, report writing and communication skills
- Define essentiality of a nutrient and identify the different forms of energy that can be provided to animals, and the way animals attempt to satisfy their energy requirements
- Describe the interactions between carbohydrates, proteins and lipids in animal metabolism and how imbalances of these result in dysfunction and inefficiency
- Formulate diets for animals from first principles to match the energy and protein requirements, limiting amino acids, major minerals and vitamins and describe their roles in metabolism at different physiological stages across species
- List the key indicators of pasture assessment necessary to make management decisions for herbivores
- Describe body composition and apply critical thinking to design different feeding strategies across species to address animal health, welfare and production under different scenarios